All washed up
With structural work completed on the Maghera Shed (our main loco maintenance shed), we’ve been able to make progress cleaning the shed before it is returned to regular use. This is a pretty major task, as it hasn’t seen a serious clean for years. It was still suffering from the after-effects of the floods in […]
DCDR attends Royal Garden Party
It was a right royal appointment recently for Chairman Robert Gardiner and Company Secretary John Noble. The pair swapped overalls and oily rags for suits and sandwiches as they enjoyed the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. William, the Prince of Wales, hosted the party. DCDR attended in recognition of being awarded the King’s Award […]
Downpatrick East Cabin connected
May 2026 sees a huge leap forward for signalling and train control at our heritage railway – the commissioning of our first ever set of points controlled by a signal cabin. Downpatrick East Cabin was originally Bundoran East Cabin from the GNR Enniskillen-Derry line. It has seen extensive refurbishment to the lever frame over the […]
Marvel superheroes descend for SuperTrain Saturday
We had a Super Saturday with the return of the SuperTrain, with four packed trains of junior Northern Ireland superheroes joining Captain America, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man to help in their mission to rescue an old friend. Yes, the Hulk made his debut on the SuperTrain but forgot he was a hero, and our marvellous […]
DCDR Chairman appointed to Heritage Railway Association board
The Heritage Railway Association (HRA) has elected DCDR Chairman, Robert Gardiner, to its board. This is a significant milestone, as he becomes the first ever representative from the island of Ireland to sit on the HRA’s main board. For those less familiar, the HRA is the umbrella body for heritage railways across the UK and […]
Restoration update: CIÉ ‘Tin van’ No.639A
Alongside 80 class power car 69, another project nearing completion in the workshop is former CIÉ ‘tin van’ No.639A. We think its TPO number is 2971, but if anyone knows better, we’d love to hear from you). The midweek team, including Gerry, Neil, Tommy and Peter, have more or less completed the external panel replacement. […]
80 Class update – the final mile?
We may not have posted much in the way of 80 class updates lately, but activity on the set has been far from quiet. Recent weeks have seen the team tackle the last few bodywork “niggles” on power car 69 with a vengeance, with virtually all the filling work now completed. We have taken extensive […]
Seen & Unseen brings eerie experience to Downpatrick
On Saturday evening as most of our tired volunteers were heading home, our Carriage Gallery was opening its doors for a rare nocturnal event here at DCDR: a story-telling session presented by local historian and performer Robert J.E. Simpson, recounting some of Northern Ireland’s most macabre and unusual local tales. We couldn’t quite offer ghost […]
Right away Mr Guard!
Right away, Mr Guard! Easter was not only an exciting time for the hundreds of families coming to see the Easter Bunny and making off with yummy chocolate eggs, it was a pretty exciting time on Easter Sunday for trainee Des Sage. Des was doing his assessment to pass out as guard, after putting in […]
An Eggcellent Weekend
Our Easter Eggspress weekend proved to be a busy two days. We carried many happy families in our Victorian-era heritage carriages up and down the line. 121 class locomotive, 124, provided the motive power. After each trip, we took them to meet one very bubbly Easter Bunny, who had set up a stall in our […]